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^{11th – 20th} October 2026

Hindu

All around the world Hindu families gather at this time to participate in circle dances associated with the goddess Durga and with Lord Krishna. Navaratri means nine nights, the length of the festival. Hindus from different areas of India, and especially from Gujarat, celebrate it in different ways: in the north the Ram Lila is performed each night, in celebration of Lord Rama’s victory over Ravana, the demon king of Sri Lanka; many Punjabis worship the goddess daily during Navaratri, and observe a strictly vegetarian diet; on the eighth day, Durga Ashtami, Punjabi Hindus fast before conducting worship of the Goddess that involves honouring young girls as the embodiment of her power.

The significance of Navratri lies in offering devotion to the mother goddess Amba (Durga), who is worshipped in many forms. These are known as ‘shakti’ (power), since the tales tell of the goddesses’ power in the killing of demons. Parvati, the wife of Shiva is also said to have taken the forms of several different goddesses.  In particular, the goddess Durga is worshipped for the first three days of Navratri, followed by the goddess Laxmi for the next three. The last three days are devoted to the goddess Saraswati. The significance of these female deities lies in the variety of methods they portray for deriving solutions to life’s problems, and so Durga triumphs over evil, Saraswati removes ignorance, and Lakshmi brings prosperity.

Navratri in India witnesses myriad forms of devotion across the country, but everywhere the common underlying theme is of the struggle between and the victory of good over evil. It is celebrated all over India and also among the Hindu diaspora with great enthusiasm. A common greeting during this festival is Shubh Navratri (Happy Navratri). Before the festival, skilled artisans prepare clay models of the goddess in her various forms. At the end of the festival these are transported to rivers or the sea where they are immersed.

Many Hindus take part in special ceremonies, rituals, fasts and festivities. People buy new clothes, prepare delicious sweets and organise gifts for family and friends. During Navratri, many Hindus in Gujarat and elsewhere wear colourful costumes and perform a special type of vigorous dance known as garba. Traditionally, garbas are performed around an earthen lamp or an image of the mother goddess. It is a devotional dance form that derives from the folklore of Lord Krishna singing and dancing with the gopis, using ‘dandiya’ or slim wooden sticks. Over the years the Navratri festival has seen many changes, with well-choreographed dance performances, high-end acoustics, innovations in music, and people dressed in made-to-order, bright costumes. Performances of the ‘Ramlila’, in which people enact scenes from the Ramayana are a regular feature.

21st October 2026

Hindu

Durga Puja is a celebration of the Mother Goddess, and the victory of the revered warrior Goddess Durga over the evil buffalo demon Mahishasura. The festival honours the powerful female force (shakti) in the Universe.

In Nepal, Bangladesh and West Bengal and other north eastern areas of India, Durga Puja is the biggest annual festival and lasts for several days.  In Kolkota (Calcutta) hundreds of pandals (decorated temporary shrines) are put up. The Goddess’s slaying of the demon is celebrated, and in Nepal the celebration may involve animal sacrifices. The festival frequently ends with the immersion of figures of Durga in rivers and in the sea.

The name ‘Durga’ means ‘inaccessible’, and she is the personification of the active side of the divine ‘shakti’ energy of Lord Shiva. In fact, she represents the furious powers of all the male gods, and is the ferocious protector of the righteous, and destroyer of the evil. Durga is usually portrayed as riding a lion, and carrying weapons in her many arms.

The celebration of total victory over this personification of evil, together with the role of the female goddess in achieving an annual victory as great as this, are grounds for widespread rejoicing throughout the Indian subcontinent. The immersion of the goddess in water is, however, an act of purification and adoration. It denotes cleansing and rebirth rather than drowning and destruction.

21st October 2026

Hindu

The festival of Dussehra, usually falls on the last day of the Durga Puja celebrations, which is also the tenth day after the start of Navratri. It is observed throughout India to commemorate the victory of Lord Rama over the ten-headed demon Ravana. He, Ravana, was the king of Lanka who had abducted Rama’s wife, Sita, and was subsequently vanquished in battle. Large effigies of him are burnt as the sun goes down. This day is celebrated as the ‘Victorious Tenth’ (Vijaya Dashami) and huge figures of Ravana alongside his son, Meghnada, and his brother, Kumbhakarna, are filled with fireworks and set on fire in public parks. In the UK some temples carry this out, even if on a smaller scale.

On this day, Hindus worship the goddess Durga, who, pleased with Rama’s devotion, gave him the secret knowledge of how to kill Ravana. By using this, he was able to defeat Ravana and rescue his abducted wife, Sita. On this last day of the festival, young men and small boys, dressed as Rama, as Lakshman, his brother, as Hanuman, Rama’s chief supporter, and as Ravana, the demon, proceed through the streets of the community as part of an elaborate float. Rama and Ravana engage in battle; Ravana is defeated. At the end of the day, images of Ravana are placed in lakes and rivers to symbolise his defeat.

Then at sunset Rama fires an arrow into giant sized images of Meghnada and Kumbhakarna, stuffed – as is the effigy of Ravana – with crackers and explosives; finally an arrow is shot into Ravana’s effigy also, to the encouraging shouts of ‘Ramchandra ki jai’, ‘Victory to Rama’, and large explosions ripple through the sky.

Dussehra also symbolises the triumph of the warrior goddess Durga over the buffalo demon, Mahishasura. The story relates how asuras or demigods had become powerful and tried to defeat the devas and capture heaven. The goddess Durga came to the rescue and took up the form of Shakti to kill Mahishasura. Riding on a lion, she fought him for nine days and nights. On the tenth day, she killed him. Thus, in both legends, the festival tells a story of the victory of good over evil.

Dusshera is celebrated with excitement and fervour across the country. People revel in the festivities by wearing new clothes, exchanging gifts, preparing delicacies, watching Ramlila plays and burning huge effigies of Ravana in the evening. However, every state in India has its own story behind the festivity and its own unique way of celebrating it. Dusshera is celebrated not just in India, but in other countries as well including Nepal, Bangladesh and many others. It is a time when Hindus all over the world visit their relatives and friends.

For the nine days of Navaratri, people fast and perform religious rites so as to sanctify themselves and take a step towards purity, piousness and prosperity. On the tenth day, they burn everything that is evil in them, hatred, maliciousness, greed, anger and violence (symbolically represented by the burning of effigies of Ravana, Meghnath and Kumbhakaran) and so they emerge as better individuals filled with a sense of gratitude, devotion and reverence.

Though there are several legendary tales behind the festival and its celebration, all culminate by marking the rise of goodness over evil, of positivity over negativity. In burning the effigies people attempt to burn away all their selfishness, and then follow the path of truth and goodness. According to Hindu Scriptures, by worshipping the ‘shakti’ on these nine-days, householders attain the threefold powers, (physical, mental and spiritual), which help them live their lives as the gods direct.

The festival of Dusshera is noteworthy for both its moral and its cultural significance. People, irrespective of their creed, culture or religion, gather to vanquish all evil and unpleasant things and imbibe the goodness around them. The essence of the festival lies in its message: with devotion to the goddess it is possible to overcome all obstacles and emerge victorious and successful.

8th November 2026

Hindu

Deepawali or Diwali, the Hindu new year’s day, is the biggest and the brightest of all Hindu festivals. It is the festival of lights: deep means ‘light’ and ‘avali’ a row’, so divali is ‘a row of lights’. It coincides with the darkest night (15^th) of the lunar month of Kartik, which usually falls in late October or early November. The festival is marked by four days of celebrations, which literally illuminate the country with their brilliance and dazzle  with their joy. Traditionally every house will set out tiny clay pots with wicks and oil all around their home, and in locations where Diwali is a national holiday, public places are also lit up with beautiful candles and lamps. Families exchange gifts at this time and share a special dinner with relatives and friends.

Each of the four days in the festival of Diwali reflects a different tradition. All four view the festival as a celebration of life and of joy, and they all share a powerful sense of the value of goodness and virtue. Various legends point to its origin. Some believe it to be the celebration of the marriage of the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi, with Lord Vishnu. Others view it as a celebration of her birthday, since Lakshmi is said to have been born on the new moon day of Kartik; many see it as a day when she fulfils the wishes of her devotees.

Diwali also commemorates the return from exile of Lord Rama (along with his wife, Sita, his loyal brother, Lakshman, and his chief supporter, Hanuman), culminating in the vanquishing of the demon-king Ravana. In joyous celebration of the return of their king, the people of Ayodhya, the capital of Rama, illuminated the kingdom with earthen diyas (oil lamps) and bursts of fire crackers.

In Bengal, the festival is dedicated to the worship of Mother Kali, the dark goddess of strength. Ganesha, the elephant-headed god, the symbol of auspiciousness and wisdom, is also worshipped in Hindu homes on this day. In Jainism, Deepawali has added significance as marking the great event of Lord Mahavira’s attaining the eternal bliss of nirvana.

All of the simple rituals of Diwali have a significance and a story to tell. Homes are illuminated with lights and noisy firecrackers fill the skies as an expression of human respect for the gods, whose help is sought in the quest for the attainment of health, wealth, knowledge, peace, and prosperity.

For Hindu families this is a time to clean their homes from top to bottom, so that when the lamps are lit their houses will be suitable for Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and knowledge, to enter their home and bless them with good fortune for the coming year. It is traditional for families to make offerings to the goddess, chiefly of fruit, rice pudding, flowers and other assorted gifts.

In addition to that, the exchange of presents during Diwali has become a mandatory part of the celebration. Friends, families, colleagues all share Diwali gifts with each other as an expression of  affection. A special feast is shared with delicious food that includes different varieties of sweets.

Indians love colours and this is reflected in various ways. Rangoli is one example, a unique form of art work based on beautiful and symbolic designs and patterns. These are colourfully presented all across India, and are usually created on floors or open spaces.

On this day, Hindu merchants in North India open their new account books for the year and pray for success and prosperity during the coming months. Husbands buy new garments for the family. Employers purchase new clothes for their employees, and the wealthy feed the poor.

The tradition of gambling on Diwali is also legendary: it is believed that on this day the goddess Parvati played dice with her husband Lord Shiva. She decreed that whoever gambled on Diwali night would prosper throughout the ensuing year.

In each legend, myth, and story the significance of Deepavali lies in the victory of good over evil. It is a time when everyone forgets and forgives the wrongs done by others during the previous year. When the oil lamps are lit, there is  an air of freedom, festivity, and friendliness everywhere.

12th January 2026

Hindu

Born Narendra Nath Datta in 1863 in Calcutta, he was an Indian Hindu monk who became the chief disciple of the 19^th century saint Ramakrishna. Vivekananda, as he became known, was a key figure in the introduction of the Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world and helped to develop Hinduism during the latter part of the 19^th century to the stage where it held the status of a major world religion. He died in 1902. He pioneered the development of the Ramakrishna Mission and the creation of the Ramakrishna Vedanta Centre movement first in India and then throughout the world, travelling widely and emphasising the devotional and social aspects of the teaching and practice of his beloved Guru, Ramakrishna.

2nd October 2026

Hindu

Gandhi Jayanti is an Indian nation holiday that celebrates the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, who is referred to as the ‘Father of the Nation’. He was the driving force behind the foundation of the state of India. His birthday is celebrated with services, prayers and painting and essay contests with topics that glorify peace and non-violence, and the singing of Gandhi’s favourite devotional song entitled ‘Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram’ (Ram Dhun for short). The distribution of alcohol is banned on Gandhi Jayanti, as on other national holidays.